Cooking with Kenna Deo
Join Mike as he follows Kenna Deo through making a delicious date night meal. Kenna is a recent VIU Grad who was the champion of Season 2 Episode 4 of the Food Networks Wall of Chefs. Kenna prepares a delicious meal of Shrimp Fettuccini Alfredo with tomatoes, asparagus, and fresh baked focaccia bread. Follow along … Continued
Acclimatizing to Change
Canada issued a ban on the manufacture and import of plastics in December of last year. By December 2023, all non-reusable plastic materials such as checkout bags, cutlery, and foodservice ware can no longer be purchased or sold. Though Canadians throw away over three million tons of plastic waste every year, only nine percent of … Continued
Unheard and Uninformed: Part Two
This is part two of a two-part inquiry into the restraints placed on female bodies and sexuality. Editor’s note: Myself and the two women who’s experiences I share in this article are cis-gendered. The vast majority of sexual education in Canada refers to heterosexual people, meaning there are woefully few educational tools for the … Continued
Unheard and Uninformed: Part One
This is part one of a two-part inquiry into the restraints placed on women’s bodies and sexuality. I sat in my doctor’s office at 15-years-old. I’d barely been on a first date—let alone kissed anyone—but there I was, getting a prescription for a pill I couldn’t pronounce. “This will help you,” my doctor said. … Continued
Where to Go When You Have Nowhere to Go
[A previous version of this article implied the VIU Students’ Union does not offer resources to students who have experienced instances of sexual misconduct. The updated version (published October 27, 2022) provides clarity on the subject.] When I was younger, I was afraid of the dark. I was a timid kid, night light on … Continued
Dear Professors,
I’m sitting in the $800 bedroom I’m renting. I hear my four other roommates in the rooms around me. My back aches from the $5 stool I bought on Facebook Marketplace. My Zoom camera is turned off to hide the tears streaming down my face. My education is supposed to be my priority, but my … Continued
A Beginner’s Blueberry Muffins
Over the winter break, a thought came to me out of the blue(berry): I want blueberry muffins. I would describe myself as a lifelong fan of blueberry muffins, but I hadn’t had one in what seemed like a couple of years. My brain decided this was an important issue that needed to be remedied. I … Continued
Opinion: Sorry, Space Cowboy
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Cowboy Bebop (1998) and Cowboy Bebop (2021). Netflix remakes are usually a bad idea. It’s definitely not a good sign when the creators cancel the series after just the first season. I’m talking about Cowboy Bebop (2021), a remake of the 1998 Space Western anime. Both the original … Continued
Baking for the Holidays
The holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year—and perhaps the busiest for VIU’s Professional Baking and Pastry Arts department. The department went through an intensive two weeks of holiday baking in early December to fulfill approximately $15k worth of orders for the VIU and Nanaimo community. The holiday delicacies range from classic … Continued
Spider’s Web Dip
I love Halloween. I get to dress up, decorate my house, watch scary movies, and sneak from the candy bowl that I’m supposed to give the trick or treat-ers. But my favourite part of Halloween is making the snacks, which comes—in large part—from my mom. She is the most extra of Halloween moms. Our front … Continued
Chickpea Peanut Butter Choco-Chip Cookies
Okay, so it might sound strange that the main ingredient in these cookies are chickpeas. I thought so too, but since finding this recipe from plant-based influencer Andrea Hannemann’s new cookbook, Plant Over Processed, I’ve made these cookies seven times. That might not sound like a lot, but that’s all within about a month and … Continued
How the Pandemic is Changing the Future for Education Students
VIU’s education students have had to adjust not only to learning during a pandemic but to teaching during one too. Many education students at VIU took a heavy blow last March when schools shut down. Students in the education program participate in teaching practicums at local schools in their third, fourth, and fifth years of … Continued
How to be Knocked Down a Peg
There is nothing quite like a good failing: a failing grade, failing health, failed relationships, vehicle, intention, job or school application or, as the modern turn of phrase goes, “failing at life.” Rather broad statement, wouldn’t you say? In my time as a student at VIU and now, gratefully, an employee, I have heard the … Continued
Suicide at University and Why World Suicide Prevention Day Feels Hollow
World Suicide Prevention Day took place in September, and it made me realize that my university has done nothing to meaningfully and publicly address an incredibly tragic suicide that occurred on campus last autumn, one week prior to reading week in 2018.